Meet the Director

Thomas J. Lynch, Jr., MD began his tenure as Director of Yale Cancer Center and Physician-in-Chief of Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven on April 1, 2009. The Jonathan and Richard Sackler Professor of Medicine, Dr. Lynch is an expert in the treatment of lung cancer with a special interest in personalized medicine.

A member of the Board of Directors for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Dr. Lynch is internationally known for his leadership in the development of novel therapies for the treatment of lung cancer. Using the molecular profile of lung tumors, he and his research team have developed methods to predict a tumor’s response to targeted drugs based on confirmed mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor gene. The resulting information enables oncologists to create treatment plans that more effectively target each patient’s specific tumor type. This kind of customized care, often referred to as personalized medicine, is a standard of practice at Yale Cancer Center and Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven.

Dr. Lynch is the Chair of the Board of Directors and a founding member of the nationally recognized Kenneth B. Schwartz Center, named after a former patient of his. Currently in 39 states and at over 320 different sites, the Schwartz Center Rounds are multidisciplinary rounds focused on the connection between patients and caregivers to promote compassionate care. The Rounds were brought to Yale Cancer Center in 2007 and continue under Dr. Lynch’s leadership.

At Yale Cancer Center, Dr. Lynch is also overseeing the creation of a new Cancer Biology Institute on Yale’s West Campus, directed by Dr. Joseph Schlessinger. The Institute will encourage collaborative research and will include the fields of cell signaling, cancer immunology, and drug development and target acquisition.

Prior to joining Yale, Dr. Lynch served as Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Chief of Hematology/Oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center. Dr. Lynch received his undergraduate degree from Yale College in 1982 and his MD degree from Yale School of Medicine in 1986. He completed his internship and residency at MGH, and after serving a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute he joined the medical staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1993.

Dr. Lynch is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. He is on the editorial boards of the journal, Clinical Cancer Research, and the Journal of Clinical Oncology.Dr. Lynch has published over 100 original scientific papers and authored or co-authored over 90 review articles and book chapters.